Galaxy close to deal with Swedish midfielder Stefan Ishizaki

Kevin Baxter

The Galaxy's busy off-season is about to land it another player after the team reached agreement on a deal with attacking midfielder Stefan Ishizaki, who has spent the last eight years with Sweden's IF Elfsborg.

According to a club official not authorized to speak about the negotiations on the record, the team has a copy of a signed contract with Ishizaki but there is still some paperwork to be completed before the deal becomes official.

Ishizaki is expected to be in Southern California on Thursday to tie up those details.

The son of a Japanese father and a Swedish mother, Ishizaki was born in Stockholm and has played for clubs in Sweden, Italy and Norway as well as with the Swedish national team. He has scored 46 times in 156 matches with Elfsborg, which has won two league titles during his tenure with the club.

Ishizaki is the fourth international player to be added to the Galaxy since the team finished last season short of Major League Soccer's Western Conference final for the first time since 2008.